Trace Your Family Tree

Taking Family History Research
into the 21st Century

At Ancestry.co.uk, we're ensuring that we continue to invest for the future too, whether that be in the launching of new record collections or in the introduction of new services to advance our members' family history research capabilities. Our recent introduction of the Ancestry DNA testing service is a prime example of this, adding a new and exciting dimension to the whole area of family history research.

Introducing DNA testing

You'll probably be familiar with how DNA testing can help solve crimes, confirm the paternity of children, and even determine the identity of ancient mummies. Now DNA can also help you with your genealogical research. Gathering a DNA sample is easy and takes only a matter of minutes. Within a few weeks you'll have results that you can compare with the ever-expanding Ancestry DNA database to find potential genetic cousins.

In addition to finding genetic cousins, DNA testing can also reveal your ancient origins. Around 170,000 years ago, our ancient human ancestors first began their migration out of Africa and started their slow and steady journey across the various continents of the world. Over time, as these ancestors spread throughout the world and adapted to their new surroundings and environments, their DNA diversified and they became genetically distinct from one another.

Today, these differences can be traced through DNA and provide insights on how your ancient ancestors migrated and diversified into distinct population groupings.

Find out more about DNA testing and its benefits

If you're interested in finding out more about how DNA testing works and can help you in building your family tree, take a look at our dedicated DNA section on the Ancestry.co.uk website here now.